High-speed counter



Dec. 14, 1948. YEAsTlNG 2,456,101

HIGH SPEED COUNTER Filed Dec. 10,. 1946 WK 2mm; 1/

INVENTOR. Maynard C K5225 f/ng ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 14', 1948 HIGH-SPEED COUNTER Maynard C. Yeasting, Elmore, Ohio, assignor to Toledo Scale Company, Toledo, Ohio,

poration of New Jersey Application December 10, 1946, Serial No. 715,232

4 Claims.

This invention relates to counting mechanisms and in particular to a counter that may operate in either a forward or a reverse direction at extremely high speeds.

Counting mechanisms other than the multiple dial geared counters, such as are used on watt-hour meters, watermeters, and similar instruments, usually employ intermittent motion transmitting means between the various indicia bearing members such that each of the indicia bearing members is stationary'except when the indication of the next lower member is changing from 9 to or 0 to 9. The rapid acceleration and deceleration of the intermittently moved indicia bearing members limits the speed at which such counting mechanisms may be operated.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a counter or counting mechanism that may be operated at extremely high speeds and which gives an indication similar to an intermittently operated counting mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide a counting mechanism in which a nonrotating gear is oscillated about its axis to provide intermittent motion of a higher order indicia bearing member of the counter.

Another object is to oscillate a nonrotating gear of a planetary gear transmission by means of resilient members that permit the oscillated gear to depart from its prescribed oscillatory motion when such oscillatory motion produces high inertia forces.

More specific objects and advantages are apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings. The invention consists in a counting mechanism in which a lower order indicia bearing member is connected to a higher order indicia bearing member by means of a nonrotating gear that is carried on an eccentric portion of the lower order member and engages the higher order member and in which the gear is oscillated by resilient means that also engage a cam on the lower order indicia bearing member. This particular arrangement affords great simplicity in the construction of the counter, provides step by step indication on the higher order indicia bearing members, and, because of the resilience of the gear oscillating means, permits the counter to be operated at extremely high speeds.

A counter embodying the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

.Figure I is a perspective view, with parts broken away, showing the general assembly of the improved counter.

Figure II is a vertical section taken through the axis of the improved counter.

Figure III is a vertical transverse section taken along the line IIIIII of Figure II.

Figure IV is a detail elevation taken along the line IV-IV of Figure II.

Figure V is a fragmentary section taken along the line VV of Figure III.

These specific figures and the accompanying description are intended merely to illustrate the invention but not to impose limitations on the claims.

The improved counter as shown in Figure I includes a plurality of indicia bearing drums I, 2, 3 and 4 enclosed within a cover 5. The front of the cover 5 is provided with a Window 6 through which indicia on the drums may be observed.

Referring to Figure II the operating mechanism of the improved counter is mounted between end plates I and 8. An input shaft 9 journaled in a bearing III in the end plate I is connected to a device whose revolutions are to be counted. The shaft 9 carries the first or lowest order indicia bearing drum I, which consists of a disk-like portion I I on whose outer rim the indicia bearing surface is mounted. The disk II is staked onto the end of a hub I2 that includes a cam I3, a concentric spacing portion I4 and an eccentric I5. The hub I2 is pinned to the shaft 9 and, furthermore, is rotatably journaled on a stationary axle I6 mounted in the end plate 8 in axial alignment with the input shaft 9.

The next higher order indicia bearing drums 2 and 3 are similarly constructed, each consisting of a hub I'I loosely journaled on the stationary shaft I6 and having mounted thereon a disk IS, a cam I9, a spacer 20 and an eccentric 2I. The highest order drum 4 consists of a simple hub 22 that carries a disk 23 to which the indicia bearing surface of the drum 4 is attached. The disks I8 of the intermediate indicia bearing drums 2 and 3 and the disk 23 of the highest order indicia bearing drum 4 are each. provided with a series of ten pins or teeth 24 that are equally spaced near the periphery of the disk and extend toward the next lower order drum. The pins or teeth 24, in efiect, form a ten-toothed internal gear. Nine-toothed gears 25 are carried on'the eccentric portions of the hubs of each of the indicia bearing drums and are of a size such that they engage the teeth 24.

If one of the nine-toothed gears 25 is prevented from rotating as'the eccentric hub is turned it describes a planetary motion and advances the next higher indicia bearing drum onetenth of a revolution for each revolution of the hub. Thus if all of the gears 25 are held from rotation, the drum 2 will advance one-tenth of a revolution for each complete revolution of the first drum I, while the third or hundreds indicia bearing drum advances one-tenthof' a revolution for each complete revolution of theseconddrum. If the gears 25 are restrained against all rotation they execute precisely planetary motions and the lower speed memberthe higher indicia bear-ing member-is driven with continuous uniform motion. If the gear 25 is restrained soth'at oneof its teeth moves along a radial lineas-theeccentric hub is turned the gear 25 executes a combined planetary and rotaryoscillatory'movem'ent such that the velocity of the driven drum continuously varies from to the rotaryvelocity of the next lower indicia bearing drum.

It' is desirable that. the velocity of a: higher order indicia bearing drum be zero while the lower indicia: bearing drum exhibits the" indicia from 1 through 9 and that the two drums" rotate substantially in unison-ion one-tenth of a revolu tion as the lowenindicia.bearing'drum goes-from 9 to 0; This effect. may. be produced by oscillating the gears 25 in a predetermined relationship with: the: rotation; of the lower order: indicia bearing drums.

The gears 25' e'achhavea slot 26 in which the endof aformed steer spring: 2.?!" is engaged. The springs 21:,whichaare anc'horedsto a rectangular bar 28 that spans the space between the end plates E and 8, urge the'gears 2 5 counterclockwise as:- viewed: in: Figurev IV; The-slots" 26 are long enough; so that the. gears: 25 may execute their planetary'motions without deflecting'th'e" ends of the .springs121- radially.

Heavier springsv 29:" also: secured to thev crossbar 28- carry on. their. free ends; rollers 3!}. that engage; the-cams; i3: and: i195 The springs 2-51 are each, provided with: a U-shaped clip 3t that straddlesthe adjacent sprin'gil; The springs-29 are? formed SOthEttithEY tend to force-the rollers 3G against the cams'withx about the same" force that'zthe springs 21 pushcagainstthe: bottomsof theclips 31.

The contour' of; the; cams [3? and I9 are the same: and. are: of: a shape; SuCh'I that. the spring 21' oscillates the gear 25 with:a motionuthatr tends to cancel any transmission: of. motion fromia lower order drum to a higher" order: drum. during the time that theroller30 cooperates with the'longer portion 32- of. the=cama During thetime that-the roller 381 engagesa shorter rising. portion 33: of the cam theoscilla-tion imparted to the gear is such. that thehigher order: indiciaibearing member is advancedone-tenth of arevolution, i; e. is advanced: to show thenext indicia;

If. the device is operating. at a relatively slow speed theinertia forces of: the higher. orderindicia bearing'members are not suiiicient to overcomethe forceof the springs 21 and 295so-that thegears 25 execute their predeterminedrmotions as determined by the cams and the eccentrics. This prescribed motion.- of thegears 25 produces intermittent motion of a higher order indicia bearing membersthatis: equivalentito the intermittent motion of a-n"; ordinary counter;

If. the.- device is operated at higher speeds the inertiaof the higher" order; indicia bearing members is sufiicient so that thezsprings; 2'1 and:29:are unable to: overcome: the. inertia. force; whereupon theoscillationof the: gearziiisless than themescribed amount and if the speed is high enough the gears 25 are not oscillated so that the motion transmitted to the higher order members is substantially uniform. During high speed operation it is immaterial whether the roller 30 follows the cam surface all the way around or not, because these parts are made with very little mass so that at all normal operating speeds the impact force between a roller 3t and the cooperating cam is negligible. Furthermore, the roller 30 may be made of a resilient material, while the cams l2 and [5- are made of steel or other hard material so that no damage to the cam or roller occurs if the roller 3i? should bounce on the cam,

The improved counter is capable of operation in either direction of rotation at practically unlimited speeds. The fact that the motion of the higher older drums is not intermittent at high operating speeds is immaterial because it is impossible to read the counter during such periods of time. Theprincipal requirement is that the indication shallb'e instan ly available when the counterslows down: and that it be able to sustain. the forces. iii-.- volved in the high speed operation Without-being subjected to abnormal wear or failure of parts. In the improved counter intermittent motion is produced. by action against resilientmembers, which members are designed to limit. the maxi? mumforce wh- 1 may be transmitted from one indicia bearing member to another;

Various modifications may be made in the details'of the improved counter without'depar-ting from the spirit scope of the invention;

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, in combination, a lower order indicia bearing drum,.an-eccentric hub rotating with the drum, a gearcarried on the eccentric hub, a higher order indicia bearing drum, internal teeth on the high order in.- dicia bearing drum that mesh with the gear, a cam on the lower order drum, and operatively connected springs one engaging the cam andthe other the gear for oscillating the gear as the. cam rotates,

2. In a device of the class described, in'combination, a lower order indicia bearing. drum, an eccentric hub rotating with the lower order. drum, a higher. order indicia bearing drum, internal teethv on the higher order drum, a gear that, is carried on the eccentric hub and. that engages the internal teeth, a cam that rotates Wi-ththe lower order drum, a resilient cam follower and -a spring engaging the gear and the resilient cam follower for oscillating the gear.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, a lower order indicia bearing member, a higher order indicia bearing member having internal teeth, an eccentric hub on the lower order member, a gear carried on the hub, said gear en'- gaging the teeth of higher order member, a cam on the lower order member, operativelyconnected springs one engaging the earn the other the gear, said cam and springs serving tooscillate the gear in a direction that prevents motion trans mission from the lower order member to the higher order member during a substantial fraction of the time and serving to intermittently advance the higher order member during'a shortportion of one revolution of the lower order member.

4. In a device of the class described, in combination, a lower order indicia bearingm'ember, a higher order indicia bearing member having internal teeth, an eccentric portion on the lower order member :positioned adjacent the higher order member; a cams'uriace formed-on the-lower order member, a gear journaled on the eccentric REFERENCES CITED portion 0f lower Order member and engaging The followin references are of record in t the internal teeth of the higher order member, a file of this pagan): he spring holding a follower against the cam, and a.

second spring engaging the gear and resiliently 5 ED STATES PATENTS pressing against the first spring, whereby the gear Number N Dat is urged into oscillatory motion by a fo not 1,246;0s7 Gooch Nov. 13, 1917 oeeding the =tension in the springs as the W 1,269,216 Prouty June 11, 1918 order member is rotated. 1,634,453 Carroll July 5, 1927 MAYNARD QYEASTING. 10 1,913,983 Gardner June 13,1933 

